The 4 Patriots 72-Hour Survival Food Kit is misnamed. In terms of caloric requirements and nutritional value, it does not quite qualify as a 48-hour food kit. In terms of packaging, it would be best suited as a 24-hour food kit.
The food is packaged conveniently for things like camping trips. But it is important to realize that the number of servings listed on each package is hopelessly optimistic. Double each serving size, and it will be just about right. Also make sure to take other foods to supplement the packaged courses.
At the time of this writing, the kit cost $29.95 at 4patriots.com [1] . I don’t believe that the kits offer a cost-effective solution for emergency food storage. It would be more cost-effective to select foods that you regularly eat and that have a long shelf life. Purchase significant stocks of those foods, and regularly rotate those stocks so that you first eat those items that have been on the shelf the longest.
Background
My wife, “Kari”, and I were at a rummage sale. The sale was a fund-raiser for a local charity. In addition to a variety of items for sale, the organization was giving away a number of food products for free. Some of those food products were 4Patriots 72-Hour Survival Food Kits. I grabbed a couple for testing and evaluation.
Description
Each kit consisted of a resealable plastic pouch with a tear-off top.
The back of the pouch proclaimed, “This Isn’t Ordinary Food . . . This is delicious, nutritious, easy-to-prepare survival food that could save your life in a disaster.”
The back of the pouch also listed a 100% Money-Back Guarantee: “If for any reason you’re not satisfied, just return your survival food within 365 days of purchase. We’ll refund 100% of you purchase price. No questions asked.”
The printing on the pouch also indicated that 4Patriots is American-owned and that the kit is American-made. Their address is 2920 Berry Hill Rd., Suite 300; Nashville, TN 37204. But at their web site, they note: “…our food is packed at a family-owned facility in Utah.”
The pouch also mentioned that the kit contained no added gluten or MSG. What it failed to mention is that although one of the meals, mac & cheese, may not have any added gluten, it does inherently have quite a bit of gluten in the pasta of the macaroni.
The outside of the main pouch does not include a date of manufacture to assist in the rotation of the product. The packets on the inside of the pouch, however, do include dates of manufacture.
There were three of the aforementioned packets on the inside of the pouch. One contained “Grammy’s Sweet Oatmeal.” A second contained “Mac & Cheese.” A third contained “Creamy Rice & Vegetable Dinner.”
Low Caloric Content
The 4Patriots website states, “Our kits are intended to provide you with energy and nutrients during stressful emergency situations. They are not intended to be complete caloric replacements during ‘normal’ times. In general, an average adult needs approximately 2,000 calories per day to meet their energy needs. Our 72-Hour Emergency Food Supply provides about 1,600 calories per day. This may not be enough for optimal nutrition.”
The last sentence at least is correct. 1,600 calories per day may not be enough for optimal nutrition. This is particularly true during a stressful emergency situation. During an emergency, a person may be called upon for higher levels of exertion. So they may need even more than approximately 2,000 calories per day to meet their energy needs.
Unfortunately, the statement that the “72-Hour Emergency Food Supply provides about 1,600 calories per day” is hopelessly optimistic. The Grammy’s Sweet Oatmeal is marked as containing eight servings of 210 calories each for a total of 1,680 calories. The Mac & Cheese is marked as containing 4 servings of 260 calories each for a total of 1,040 calories. The Creamy Rice & Vegetable Dinner is marked as containing 4 servings of 260 calories each for a total of 1,040 calories. This comes to a total of 3,760 calories. If that total is divided by three days, it comes to 1,253 calories per day. That is significantly less than the 1,600 calories claimed, not to mention the 2,000 or so calories that average person actually needs. Even if the supplied calories are divided by just two days, it comes to just 1,880 calories per day. That is still less than the need of approximately 2,000 calories per day.
Furthermore, it is the average woman who needs approximately 2,000 calories a day. The average man needs 2,500 calories per day. The “72-Hour Emergency Food Supply” provides approximately half of the calories that the average man needs for a 72-Hour period under normal conditions. Under stressful emergency conditions, he is likely to need even more.
Other Nutritional Content
The kit is likewise lacking in terms of other nutritional content.
For example, it provides 39 grams of protein per day. That is significantly less than the 50 to 175 grams per day that is recommended.
It provides 0% of the recommended daily allowance of vitamin D, 27% of the recommended daily allowance of potassium, 30% of the recommended daily allowance of calcium, and 48% of the recommended daily allowance of iron. Even sodium, which American foods usually provide in excess, only reaches 72% of the recommended daily allowance.
Packaging
[2]There are a total of three different courses, each in a different package. The contents of the packages are not homogeneous, so they do not lend themselves to being divided. As a result, the entire contents of each package must be prepared together as a unit. That means that if you were to divide the meals over three days, you could have freshly cooked meals on day one and leftovers for the remaining two days. Leftover oatmeal, leftover mac & cheese, and leftover rice & vegetable dinner do not lend themselves particularly well to reheating over open flame. Microwave ovens cannot be expected to function in an emergency situation.
So each course is packaged in a way that is best designed to be consumed as a single meal, and there are a total of only three packages. This does not lend itself well to providing meals over the course of three days.
The Proof of the Pudding
The proof of the pudding is in the tasting. So I prepared each of the three courses, and Kari and I ate them.
1. Creamy Rice & Vegetable Dinner
[3]The Creamy Rice & Vegetable Dinner looked the most appetizing, so I began with that. In accord with the directions on the back of the packet, I put 2 ½ cups of water on the stove to boil. I then opened the package and removed the oxygen absorber. The package was easy to open, and the contents smelled appetizing. When the water boiled, I stirred in the contents of the package and then reduced the heat to medium. I allowed the contents to cook for 20 minutes, stirring frequently. Then I removed the pot from the stove and allowed the contents to thicken for two to three minutes before serving.
The directions were easy to follow, even for a mediocre cook like me. Tucker the Beagle thought that the dinner smelled great as he watched me cook it with longing eyes.
Kari and I divided the dinner. Although the package said that it was four servings, the meal was a little skimpy even for just the two of us. The dried peas in the dinner did not fully rehydrate during the cooking process, and were a bit crunchy. Other than that, it tasted pretty good. Kari suggested the idea of doctoring up the recipe by adding some canned chicken.
2. Grammy’s Sweet Oatmeal
The next morning, I prepared Grammy’s Sweet Oatmeal for breakfast.
The oxygen absorber in the package appeared to have been damaged and then resealed with a piece of masking tape. This was not inspiring, as the tape could have loosened and the contents of the oxygen absorber could have leaked into the food.
[4]Preparing the oatmeal involved boiling eight cups of water. Based upon my previous experience, many small biomass or alcohol stoves have difficulty bringing eight cups of water to a boil in a timely manner. A suitable source of heat for cooking will need to be a part of your emergency meal planning. A campfire and a #10 can would suffice. The oatmeal ended up being a little watery, even after standing for several minutes. The taste was adequate, but was nothing to write home about.
My maternal Grandfather loved oatmeal. He had it every day for breakfast. My Mother, after having oatmeal for breakfast every day while growing up, did not particularly like it. As a result, I seldom had oatmeal while growing up. Having experienced a bowl of oatmeal as a rare treat during my childhood, I now greatly enjoy a bowl of oatmeal from time to time.
There was enough oatmeal in the package for a total of five meals. It warmed up well in the microwave. Without access to a microwave, I think that I might try to fry the leftover oatmeal.
3. Mac & Cheese
For lunch one day, I prepared the Mac & Cheese.
[5]In contrast with the packages for the previous two courses, the package for the mac & cheese was not at all easy to open. I finally turned to my EDC knife when my fingers were not adequate to the task. So in addition to a stove, pot, and water, a knife or scissors will be necessary to prepare this meal. Although the meal had been manufactured less than six years previously, and although it was supposed to have a 25 year shelf-life, the powdered contents of the package had solidified. Fortunately, the chunks finally fully dissolved near the end of the 20 minute cooking cycle.
The resulting mac & cheese tasted okay. It was not the best that I have ever eaten, but neither was it the worst. Kari commented that it was not especially creamy, but it was otherwise average.
Conclusions
Although not adequate for 72-hours or even 48-hours, the 4Patriots 72-Hour Survival Food Kit would provide more than enough nutrition for one person for a single day. The food is conveniently packaged, easy to prepare, and tastes okay. Preparation will require a way to boil up to eight cups of water, a knife or scissors to open the mac & cheese package, and a spoon.
The kit could be improved by a larger package of rice & vegetable dinner and a smaller package of oatmeal. The mac & cheese package was appropriately sized for a couple of servings.
At $29.95, the kit costs less than eating out at a fast food restaurant three times and more than several typical home-cooked meals.
I hope that I never need to survive 72-hours nourished solely by the contents of this kit. I would not die, but I would certainly be hungry.
Disclaimer
I did not receive any financial or other inducement to mention any vendor, product, or service in this article.